Dear Mikey, Without trying to write an article about Wurlitzer 65-note
rolls (commonly called APP rolls), I wanted to address a few items
you raise in your posting on MMD.

As far as I know, Julie Porter has probably the most complete rollography
of 65-note rolls.  However, there are many that she doesn't have listed
for I was told by a collector that many of the early 5-tune long roll
frame rolls in my collection are not there, as well as several later 10-
and 15-tune rolls.  New discoveries of these rolls occasionally happen.
(A group was discovered several years ago hidden in the attic of a
former saloon in North Tonawanda, New York.)

What killed the Wurlitzer PianOrchestra was the closure of their
primary market -- the large saloon -- due to the Prohibition Act of
1919.  And I beg to differ regarding the arrangements: one may hear
two distinct styles between Wurlitzer PM and APP rolls, although
more than a few tunes need to be heard to discover this (try listening
to "California, Here I Come" on both, for example).

Also, examples of how Wurlitzer altered both the PM or QRS arrangements
may be found in the upper fourteen notes, which played the corresponding
bell notes in styles so equipped.  The alternating notes made the bells
and/or xylophone come alive (similar to the xylophone passages found on
Clark 4-X rolls).  I've heard a few PM arrangements that utilized this
feature on the latest PM rolls from the mid-'twenties, but this is
seldom, if ever found on the standard QRS arrangements.  Comparing the
bell ranges between PM and APP rolls, the range alone in the upper bell
section is different, to name but a couple of distinctions (PM rolls
have a 13-note bell section and APP rolls a 14-note section).  PM rolls
have 61 playing notes, APP's have 65.

Now I am not saying that Wurlitzer never duplicated arrangements
amongst its various instrument scales, but it isn't evident, at least
to me, that it was a hard and fast rule.  And given the sophistication
of the PM scale, and enormous difference in perforation size,
configuration and instrumentation, using one master would seem nearly
impossible, or at the very least not financially feasible which was
always Wurlitzer's "bottom line".  Granted, APP rolls cut after 1923
use stock QRS masters, but there is a plethora of A, G and O rolls that
offer "Roaring 20's" material, so I generally don't purchase APP rolls
cut after 1922 as they don't reflect the true style of Wurlitzer.

You have a great enthusiasm for the hobby and I personally want to
encourage you to pursue at least one Wurlitzer Rollography.

Consider contacting both Julie Porter and Matthew Caulfield for their
contributions.  And I would be willing to help fill in the holes, so
to speak, with some early (1908-1912) red and white paper 5-tune rolls
which may be unknown to Wurlitzer APP roll fans.

Best Ragards,

Stephen K Goodman - Professional Player Piano & Nickelodeon Restoration
Tarpey Village (Fresno/Clovis) California, USA
http://www.mechanicalmusicrestoration.com/